As of today, March 29, 2010, the Iowa House, following the lead of the Senate, passed SF2379 by an overwhelming majority! The bill now goes to Governor Culver for his signature. But even if he doesn't sign it, the bill passed both houses by a roughly 90% majority, making a veto override a near certainty. It's a great day for freedom in Iowa!
I would STRONGLY encourage Iowa voters to contact Governor Culver's office and voice your support for this bill. He'd be a fool not to sign it, but since he's a Dem you never know. Here is the email that I sent his office a few minutes ago. While I would encourage each person to craft their own letter, if you wish you may copy mine (just change your name, please!
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Dear Governor,
I am writing to respectfully request that you sign Iowa Senate File 2379, concerning making Iowa a "Shall Issue" state for the purpose of carrying a concealed weapon for personal defense, into law. This legislation, passed by an overwhelming majority of both the Iowa House and Senate, provides Iowa citizens truly equal representation under Iowa law regarding this issue where under the current law it doesn't exist. As you are likely aware, the current law in Iowa provides absolute and unappealable discretionary power to each county Sheriff regarding the terms and conditions under which he or she will issue a resident a permit to carry. Some Sheriffs, as in Polk county, will issue permits to anyone who can demonstrate responsibility and isn't otherwise prohibited by law from possessing a firearm. Others, like Sheriff Pulkrabek in Johnson county, simply refuse to issue any permits except under extreme conditions, and then will only do so if the said permit has strict arbitrary restrictions, which carry the weight of law. However, under Iowa law, the liberal permit issued by the Polk county Sheriff is just as valid in Johnson county, and all 97 other Iowa counties, despite the fact that the Sheriff of Johnson county refuses to issue in his county. As such, the law as currently written is unfair and unjust.
SF2379 revises Iowa law to make the standards for issuance uniform across all 99 counties of Iowa, sets equal standards for training of applicants, provides for background checks that match current Federal standards for firearms possession, requires that Sheriffs issue qualified applicants permits even if the Sheriff has person or political objections, and allows applicants that are denied issuance an avenue of legal appeal.
SF2379 brings Iowa into line with 39 other states that have put "Shall Issue" laws into place. It is well documented that none of these states have experienced any spike in handgun violence among permit holders. In fact, statistically, the citizens who apply for and receive concealed carry permits are far less likely to commit any crime at all, when compared to the population at large.
Therefore, Mr Governor, I would again ask that you give this worthy piece of legislation your signature when it arrives at your desk in the very near future. This is not a partisan issue. Rather, it is an issue of liberty, the individual right to self defense, and equal protection for all citizens under Iowa Law.
Thank you for your consideration,
Michael J. Volesky
Here is the NRA-ILA alert I received regarding this latest turn of events in the very long struggle to make Iowa Shall Issue:
Iowa Legislature Passes “Shall Issue” Right-to-Carry Legislation!
On Monday, March 29, the House of Representatives passed Senate File 2379 by a vote of 81 to 15 and it will now head to Governor Chet Culver (D) for his consideration. SF2379 had previously passed in the Senate by a vote of 44 to 4. This bill is a huge victory for gun owners in the Hawkeye State and reinforces the legislature’s intent to treat the provisions of the Second Amendment as rights, not state-granted privileges.
This NRA-backed bill would change Iowa from a "May-Issue" state to a "Shall-Issue" state. This legislation would require sheriffs to issue a permit to carry weapons to all applicants, unless they are subject to certain specific disqualifiers. This pro-gun legislation would:
Increase the term of a permit from one year to five years;
Narrow the disqualifying circumstances for a permit to the federal minimum in most cases, while further narrowing state-specific disqualifiers;
Prevent the issuing officer from placing limits on or restricting the scope of a carry permit;
Ensure that denials, suspensions, and revocations of permits would be subject to both administrative and judicial review;
Grant recognition to all valid out-of-state permits;
Broaden the types of training that would fulfill the state-mandated training requirement for permit applicants;
Provide a means for persons who are prohibited from owning firearms under broad mental health-related disqualifiers and who do not pose a public safety risk to regain their rights;
Limit the information that can be required of a permit applicant and prevent the application process from being used as a de-facto firearm registration scheme; and
Until the new system goes into effect on January 1, 2011, you will still be able to obtain a one year permit under the old system.
Please contact Governor Culver TODAY and respectfully urge him to sign this important legislation into law. Contact information can be found below.
Governor Chet Culver (D)
(515) 281- 5211
Again, it is very important that each of us contact the Governor's office. This is as close as we've ever gotten to revising Iowa law from "May Issue" to Shall Issue. The fight's been going on for many years, and if the bill is vetoed without an override, it'll be a minimum of a year before it can be brought back for reconsideration under Iowa legislative rules.
Here is Governor Culver's email contact link:
http://www.governor.iowa.gov/index.p...es/contact_us/
Thanks,
Mike